Oromo Chair with Cowhide Seat & Back

Hide pulled tight over a frame of knotty timber.

Oromo makers of Ethiopia, East Africa, made this chair in wood and cowhide in the late 19th or early 20th century. Hide-seated chairs are often associated with the seating of household heads and elders in the region, though practice varies. The back is a broad curved panel of pale, honey-colored leather held to the posts by a row of small studs. The seat is trimmed with rough knobby joints where the branches meet, and the thick legs are roughly cut.

About 35 inches high and 20 inches wide. A chair with a lot of character and exactly zero cushions.